Territories and other (all too human) childhood imaginings.

 
Ah, the good old days. Sigh. When I was a little girl, I would do the craziest things. 

I would lay in my bed at night and with the sheets pulled up to my chin, I'd quake beneath whispering into the darkness..."If there is a ghost in the room, make yourself known! Shake the curtain! Knock over my lamp...." Then I'd lay awake scared to death waiting for the lamp to hit the bedroom floor or the curtains to shake with wild abandon. It never happened. 

Then, when the ghosts failed to entertain me, I'd summon the green aliens from Mars.  Any airplane on a night flight seen from my bedroom window became a UFO coming to abduct me.  (Secretly a small yet fearful part of me was hoping after all. Calgon, take me away!)

I'd write things in my diary that I thought were very, very important.  To protect these sacred texts I'd write warnings on the inside cover equivalent to a spell such as, 'Whoever is reading this book that shouldn't be, this book belongs to Gillian da Silva so mind your own business!!!'  A small skull and crossbones illustration would accompany it, to warn potential snoopers that I was deadly serious. 

I'd also lay claim to territories.  Whether they were clothes, books, dolls, board games or candy.  If it was mine, I felt compelled by some unseen and all powerful force to put my name on it.  Not just my name mind you. I'd also tell you what the thing was, as if you didn't already know.

Gillian's calligraphy set.

Gillian's book.

Gillian's Big League Chew.

Gillian's diary. (skull and crossbones)

Well now things are not so different for my children. Yet instead of writing in pen on their territorial items, they label them with the Brother P-Touch.  Needless to say, almost everything they are able to label, is.

Olivia's book.

Olivia's game.

Olivia's Nintendo DS.

Olivia's D&G sunglasses.

Olivia's Guess purse.

Olivia's passport.

Olivia's skateboard.

Olivia's cell phone.

Olivia's Sony 30" television and DVD player.

Olivia's ping pong table.

Well, I guess times have changed slightly after all. Kids have more material things to lay claim to.  But they don't have the simplicity of imagination, not the way we did.  My kids don't even believe in ghosts.  They wouldn't waste their time laying in bed dreaming up spirits or UFO's like I did.  They watch Katy Perry  videos until they pass out but not before lipping off a little because they are up too late and tired.  Bless their lippy souls. It's all relative, I suppose.

These are the good old days.

xoxo

Comments

[Sandy]

I completely agree. Imagination has gone by the way side. The days when children imagine bikes were horses (or even really rode bikes at all without texting) are gone. It doesn't seem that long ago that every home DIDN'T have the internet and cell phones were the size of bricks for business men. Then again, our parents and grandparents probably felt the same about us.

[elizabeth]

I rather miss the days of using nothing but imagination. We had such fun.

That reminds me of when we got label makers one Christmas as a present. Now that was good times. I remember labels on everything.

[Swirly]

What an extraordinary journey you are sharing with your family. I LOVE the stories of your labeling everything when you were a little girl...those were VERY important things!